Key takeaways
- Ending Achievements (two of them): The “Hollow Knight” and “Sealed Siblings” endings are mutually exclusive with the “Dream No More” ending. Once you obtain the Void Heart from the White Palace and the Birthplace, you can still get all three — but the order matters. Defeat the final boss before claiming Void Heart to bank the first ending, then return and finish for the rest.
- Nailsmith’s Fate: You choose whether to kill the Nailsmith with your nail or let him live. One choice gives you an achievement (“Purity” comes from upgrading the nail to its max before this conversation, but the kill itself is the flag). Max out your nail before visiting him at his hut in the City of Tears.
- Grimm Troupe choice: Banishing vs. completing the Grimm Troupe ritual yields different rewards and one achievement each. You can only do one per save. Do the full ritual for the achievement tied to Nightmare King Grimm, then handle the banishment flag on a second, quick save if you want everything.
Hollow Knight Achievement Guide: All 100% Trophies
The fastest route to 100% in Hollow Knight is to play the game area by area in story order, banking every area-tied achievement as you go, then clean up the Pantheon and speedrun challenges last. Two things will cost you a second playthrough if you ignore them: the two mutually exclusive endings (one is missable once you claim the Void Heart) and the Nailsmith’s life-or-death choice. Everything else can be mopped up after the credits roll, because the save file persists post-ending. Budget roughly 65–85 hours for a blind 100% run and about 40–50 hours if you follow a checklist like this one.
How the Achievement Set Breaks Down
Hollow Knight’s achievement list (112 total on the current Steam build, per the game’s official patch notes and store listing) splits into five rough buckets. Knowing the shape of the list tells you where the hours actually go.
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| Category | Approx. count | Missable? | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boss & area progression | ~30 | No | 25–35 hrs |
| Collectibles (grubs, charms, mask/shards) | ~20 | No | 10–15 hrs |
| Combat & skill challenges (Pantheons, Trial of the Fool) | ~15 | No | 15–25 hrs |
| Endings & story flags | ~6 | Yes | 2–4 hrs |
| Speedrun / no-death / misc | ~10 | No | 5–10 hrs (separate saves) |
The Missable Achievements (Read This First)
Almost nothing in Hollow Knight is permanently lost — but these are, and they gate a clean 100%.
- Ending Achievements (two of them): The “Hollow Knight” and “Sealed Siblings” endings are mutually exclusive with the “Dream No More” ending. Once you obtain the Void Heart from the White Palace and the Birthplace, you can still get all three — but the order matters. Defeat the final boss before claiming Void Heart to bank the first ending, then return and finish for the rest.
- Nailsmith’s Fate: You choose whether to kill the Nailsmith with your nail or let him live. One choice gives you an achievement (“Purity” comes from upgrading the nail to its max before this conversation, but the kill itself is the flag). Max out your nail before visiting him at his hut in the City of Tears.
- Grimm Troupe choice: Banishing vs. completing the Grimm Troupe ritual yields different rewards and one achievement each. You can only do one per save. Do the full ritual for the achievement tied to Nightmare King Grimm, then handle the banishment flag on a second, quick save if you want everything.
Area-by-Area Checklist
Forgotten Crossroads & Dirtmouth
- Buy the Map from Cornifer and the Quill from Iselda — both are prerequisites for the mapping achievements.
- Rescue the grubs and bank the first few Mask Shards and Soul Vessels.
- Defeat False Knight and Vengefly King. Difficulty spike: none.
- Pick up the Fury of the Fallen charm in King’s Pass.
Greenpath & Fungal Wastes
- Defeat Hornet (first fight) — this gates your Mothwing Cloak (dash).
- Claim Mantis Lords in the Mantis Village; this unlocks the Mantis Claw (wall jump).
- Difficulty spike: Mantis Lords is the first genuine skill check. Expect 5–15 attempts for a first-timer.
City of Tears & Soul Sanctum
- Defeat Soul Master for the Desolate Dive.
- Meet the Nailsmith — do not finalize his fate until your nail is fully upgraded (see missables above).
- Grab the Dream Nail in the Resting Grounds, then return here for the Watcher’s Spire content.
Deepnest, Kingdom’s Edge & Resting Grounds
- Defeat Hornet (second fight) for the King’s Brand, which opens the Abyss.
- Farm Pale Ore from the Nailsmith’s reforging chain (four total needed for max nail).
- Collect the Dreamers — all three — for the story-flag achievements.
Late Game: Queen’s Gardens, The Hive, White Palace
- Grant the Queen’s Gardens flower to the Delicate Flower quest for a tricky but non-missable achievement.
- Clear the White Palace — this is where the Void Heart sits, and the point of no return for two endings.
- Difficulty spike: the White Palace platforming is the hardest traversal in the base game; allow 1–2 hours.
Endgame: Trial of the Fool, Pantheons & Speedruns
These are the achievements that decide whether you finish at 60 hours or 90.
| Challenge | Type | Est. attempts (first-timer) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trial of the Fool | Arena | 10–25 | No bench mid-trial; dying restarts it |
| Pantheon of the Knight | Boss rush | 5–15 | Long gauntlet before final boss |
| Pantheon of Hallownest | Boss rush | 30–60+ | ~40-minute run, no checkpoints |
| Path of Pain | Platforming | 20–50 | Optional; separate achievement |
| Speedrun 1 (under 5 hrs) | Time trial | 1–3 | Separate save; skip everything optional |
| Speedrun 2 (under 10 hrs, 100%) | Time trial | 2–5 | Requires a route plan |
| Steel Soul (no deaths) | Permadeath | 1–10 | Death = save deletion; separate save |
Skill-loadout shortcuts for the hard fights
- Pantheon of Hallownest: Unbreakable Strength + Quick Slash + Mark of Pride + Shaman Stone is the standard recommendation. It’s a damage-race build, not a defensive one.
- Path of Pain: Grubsong + Hiveblood keeps you from restarting sections; you take no combat damage here.
- Trial of the Fool: Nail-binding is the real threat. Dash-slash the flying enemies first; ground enemies clump and die to Descending Dark.
How to Order Your Playthrough
- Run 1 (main save, 90–100%): Full story, all areas, both non-exclusive endings. Do not claim Void Heart until you’ve banked the first ending.
- Run 2 (speedrun + Steel Soul): Combine the under-5-hour speedrun and Steel Soul on separate saves if you’re confident, or stack them with a 100% route for the under-10-hour achievement.
- Cleanup: Return to Run 1 for Pantheons, Path of Pain, and any collectible you missed.
A concrete time benchmark: a disciplined route — Forgotten Crossroads → Greenpath → Fungal Wastes → Mantis Lords → City of Tears → Soul Master → Resting Grounds → Dream Nail → Deepnest → Hornet 2 → Abyss → Void Heart — is achievable in 12–15 hours for the story, leaving the bulk of your total for the arena and Pantheon grind.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many achievements does Hollow Knight have?
The current Steam version lists 112 achievements, including those added with the Godmaster and Grimm Troupe content updates (per the game’s official patch notes). The PlayStation and Xbox versions use a trophy/achievement subset of the same list, so counts differ slightly by platform.
Are any Hollow Knight achievements permanently missable?
Yes — the ending achievements are mutually exclusive depending on when you claim the Void Heart, and the Grimm Troupe banishment choice locks out one achievement per save file. The Nailsmith choice is also irreversible once made. Everything else can be collected on the same save after finishing the game.
What’s the hardest achievement in Hollow Knight?
The Pantheon of Hallownest is widely considered the hardest, requiring you to defeat roughly 40 boss encounters in a single uninterrupted run with no checkpoints. Path of Pain is the second-hardest for pure platforming difficulty. Steel Soul is punishing for a different reason — any death deletes your save file.
Do I need a second save file for 100%?
Yes, for the speedrun and Steel Soul achievements. The under-5-hour, under-10-hour, and no-death achievements are tied to separate save slots and cannot be earned on your main progression file. Plan for at least two saves: one completionist run and one challenge run.
How long does a full Hollow Knight 100% run take?
A blind first playthrough to 100% typically runs 65–85 hours, while a route-guided run lands around 40–50 hours. The endgame content (Pantheons, Trial of the Fool, Path of Pain) accounts for roughly a third of that total and is where most players stall.
Can I get all endings in one playthrough?
You can get all endings on a single save file, but not in a single boss encounter. Defeat the final boss before claiming the Void Heart to bank the first ending, then claim Void Heart and return for the Dream No More ending. The fight’s accessibility changes based on which ending you’re pursuing, so save before the final confrontation.
